The World Didn’t Collapse After the Regression -58-
058.
“Are you the guy called Ido-hyuk?”
An intense gaze scanning up and down.
A spirit of fighting overflowing.
The finely tuned body seemed ready to attack at any moment.
“What, this scruffy guy defeated Choigangcheol?”
Open provocation in both gaze and demeanor.
Kwabna is a famous combatant.
If not for this being the headquarters, fists would have flown before glances.
And not only that.
Everyone in the room, all 8 pairs of eyes, were scrutinizing him.
Of course, the meaning behind each gaze was different.
Expectation, interest, indifference, hostility, affection…
“…”
Ido-hyuk also scrutinized them.
The first person his eyes met was Gwangma, Chen Tao.
Seeing him, Ido-hyuk couldn’t help but flinch.
The quivering flesh made Chen Tao’s gaze even more intense.
But that was all.
As they entered the council, attacks against each other were nullified.
Ido Hyuk’s gaze continued to scan the remaining members.
Grand Magus Eileen, Saint Eliza… and finally, Marcus.
And then, a conclusion was reached.
“Hmm.”
The Nine Heroes.
The apex of all hunters.
“Is this all?”
Whoosh!
At that moment, a fierce wind swept in.
A blast unleashed by Quabna.
Ido Hyuk casually turned his head to evade it.
Of course.
Thud!
He didn’t forget to counterattack.
Ido Hyuk’s leg lashed out like a whip.
Thwack!
A sharp sound erupted.
But it didn’t land properly.
“Huh?”
Quabna’s thick arm blocked Ido Hyuk’s leg.
Quabna revealed a smile.
Normally, the follow-up strike would have come next…
“So, that’s how it works.”
The effect of being in the council gathered.
No harm could be inflicted upon each other within this place.
Only a sense of touch remained at the toes; the impact didn’t transfer.
Tap.
Ido Hyuk retracted his extended leg and explored the surrounding space with magic.
Like the “Babel” that most high-level hunters could use, magic was the name given to the ability to create something beyond one’s inherent abilities by manipulating mana.
And among the various skills of the Grand Magus, there was the “Hero’s Parade,” a skill that no one in the world could match.
It was astonishing to have the spiritual bodies of the Nine Heroes from around the world gathered here, but to add such an effect was even more surprising.
Although it wasn’t his main field, as someone with considerable expertise in magic, Ido Hyuk naturally couldn’t help but be curious about this place.
Ido Hyuk discreetly wove mana into a tangible form and began to explore the surrounding space.
Of course, it wasn’t purely out of curiosity.
Where were the magicians who had revealed their secrets before him?
Thud─
But at that moment…
The broken thread of magic.
“···Hmm.”
Following that, a languid voice was heard.
There was no need to investigate who the owner was.
“Newbie, quite audacious, aren’t you?”
The Archmage, Eilin.
It was her, the owner of this space, who noticed what Idohyuk was up to.
“…Very curious by nature.”
Idohyuk replied, concealing a hint of surprise.
Not just any ordinary hero, huh.
Didn’t expect to be caught so easily.
‘···?’
The strong presence of Eilin felt at that moment.
As her gaze locked onto Idohyuk, a strange sensation was felt.
Magic probing him just like he did moments ago.
Snap!
Idohyuk spread his magic around, dispersing Eilin’s magic that was scrutinizing him.
“Oh, sorry. I’m quite curious myself.”
“..Let’s just put our curiosity aside.”
“Hmm, if you say so.”
‘She deliberately made it known.’
Giving up quickly on examining the “Hero’s Gathering.”
It’s clear from just now.
No matter how skilled Idohyuk might be, as long as he’s in this space, he couldn’t surpass Eilin in handling magic.
‘What if it was outside···?’
Well, long or short, one must ultimately face it, but for now, it seems impractical.
Magic wasn’t his main field of expertise, after all.
Instead···
“Hey, newbie, were you a magic wielder too? Didn’t feel like it at all.”
The enthusiasm shown by Quabna seemed to have faded, perhaps due to the magic exploration between Idohyuk and Eilin earlier.
What’s bothering is both that and the title she calls him by.
‘Newbie.’
Idohyuk may be the most recent addition among the 9 heroes in this place, but he didn’t quite fancy that title.
Even if one of his predecessors among the 9 heroes, Choigangcheol, had been treated poorly among them.
It was unacceptable to be called by such a title forever.
“Here. Is it entirely impossible for us to face off against each other?”
First and foremost, there was a need for some sort of hierarchy.
Idohyuk asked, looking towards Eilin.
The response came right beside him.
“hehehe, it’s possible! Eilin! Let’s open the arena.”
With those words, Quabna revealed a smirk.
Now, Quabna’s magic, which was seeping out slowly, was on the verge of exploding.
“Ugh, so ignorant.”
“Just a moment, I was the first…”
“Both won’t work. Only once a day can be handled. Forgot?”
“Noisy. Chen Tao. I’m first. Or do you want to take me on?”
Quabna emitted an aura of aggression while glaring at Chen Tao.
A clash between the barbaric dragon and the frenzied horse.
It would be quite entertaining to watch, but-
Hush.
Seeing Chen Tao nervously biting his lip, it was clear they had already sorted out their positions.
Well, Chen Tao’s abilities wouldn’t match well with Quabna’s.
In reality, outside this place, he would have stood no chance.
Anyway.
Phaah-!
An immense amount of magic burst forth, accompanied by flashes of light, revealing a fighting arena before their eyes.
Thud!
Quabna had leaped into the center in no time.
And he even emitted a rough aura as if urging his opponent to come up quickly.
“The second transcendental showdown.”
Itohyuk also stepped into the arena, savoring the anticipation.
His unique ability, which had evolved once again, raising his rank to transcendental, required a consistent first condition for activation.
First, facing the opponent…
Ding-!
That was the moment.
[“Eleven” has donated 1,000,000 won.]
“Awaken, brave warrior…!”
An alert jolted Itohyuk out of his reverie.
“Oh.”
Itohyuk, now fully awake, looked at the donation alerts in front of him.
[“Itohyuk’s disciple” has donated 1,000 won.]
“Um, excuse me?”
[“Yoobongi” has donated 3,000 won.]
“Where did the broadcaster go…?”
[“Sunwoo93” has donated 5,000 won.]
“The silence of the gods.”
Alert windows cluttered the screen.
Lost in past memories, he had forgotten about the chat box and donation alerts.
Swish-
-LOLhahahaha
“I said, you’d need to shoot about 1 million volts to get through. LOL”
“LOL”
The chat window burst into laughter at the sight of Lee Do-hyuk.
Wondering why Lee Do-hyuk was acting like that, he looked through the remaining donation notifications.
[“TransparentIce” has donated 100,000 won.]
“Phew… Would a 100,000 punch work?”
[“rfhjogba” has donated 300,000 won.]
“If 100,000 doesn’t work, then 300,000 volts!”
“Hmm…”
It turned out that there were not just one or two donations waking up Lee Do-hyuk lost in thought, but also that the donation amounts were gradually increasing.
Starting from thousands to tens of thousands, then suddenly reaching hundreds of thousands, and finally, when a massive 1 million won donation came through, Lee Do-hyuk realized it.
“Ah… Sorry. I got lost in thought for a moment…”
Even at a point where it had just been about a minute since he started the broadcast, that was Lee Do-hyuk.
“LOL What’s this new way of fundraising?”
“hahahaha, what a joke!”
“Now even in fundraising, surpassing the teacher’s guidance with insane talent.”
Yet, the viewers were not at all displeased with Lee Do-hyuk’s behavior.
Just as good-looking guys could make heads turn with a single word, those who excelled in broadcasting knew how to keep viewers entertained no matter what they did.
While Lee Do-hyuk was closer to excelling in games rather than broadcasting, from the viewers’ perspective, it was all the same.
“Thank you all for the donations. User eleven, TransparentIce, rla… Oh, if you have any missions or requests, feel free to speak up. I’ll do it as a mission.”
Lee Do-hyuk reacted to the donations belatedly.
His gaze turned back to the screen, focusing on Quavna, before looking away.
“I didn’t expect to see him here.”
“Oh, who’s this guy? Iron Fist Pro?”
“Yes.”
“Quavna, just a crazy talented dude.”
“After his debut, he’s been dominating the competition.”
“He’s so good it’s annoying LOL. He was just playing around with Anatol in the last tournament.”
“Huh? Isn’t that a story about Teacher Do-hyuk? LOL”
While Lee Do-hyuk asked viewers about Quavna, he continued his thoughts.
The chat was quickly filled with discussions about Quavna.
The praises towards him were overflowing.
Naturally, it was to be expected.
If Lee Do-hyuk knew Quavna, then playing this game called Iron Fist was a piece of cake for him.
He was a natural-born fighter with exceptional talent.
Likely, it would be the same here too.
Of course, the Quavna he knew and the current Quavna could not be considered the same person.
Existences living in different timelines.
However, whether then or now, there was something unchanged about Quavna.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen that guy, but…”
He still looks like he wants to win.
– Honestly, I’m really curious who would win if they fought.
– Yeah… Even though he’s strong, it’s against Kwanareng…
– Oh
– Anyway, isn’t it obvious now? If Dohyuk-nim wins the Tworc competition, Evo will go, right?
“Yes. I have to go.”
– Yay
– How much is the Evo prize money that Master Dohyuk would miss out on?
– For real lol
– Wow lol, I’m really looking forward to Dosen-nim and Kwanareng facing off.
At that moment, a sponsorship rang out.
Ring-
[“Eleven” has sponsored 1,000 won.]
– A mission to say it’s from the money earned… Winning Evo… Understand?
A donation that encapsulated the hopes of all viewers, no, Korean Iron Fist gamers.
In the past, Korea, which was once heard as the strongest nation in the world, had faced many setbacks in the Iron Fist world.
In the Iron Fist realm of Korea, where phrases like ‘luxury supporting role’ and ‘just a pawn’ were heard at every competition.
Still, with Anatol and Beyond showcasing world-class skills, Korea was expected to rise to prominence in Iron Fist following its success in Eleventh.
But then came Kwanareng, a genius, a monster, a disaster.
Nowadays, it seemed almost impossible for Korea to win the trophy before Kwanareng’s retirement.
“Winning? Isn’t that natural?”
– Yay, confidence is key
From Noble mtl dot com
– His declaration, wow
– After winning, will he go to Kwanareng?
But if it’s Dohyuk…
If it’s Dohyuk, who fell in Eleventh, that ‘disaster,’ that ‘blemish’…
Hmm… Could he challenge Kwanareng? Who knows.
To the average Iron Fist fan, this might sound like nonsense, but at least a considerable number of Dohyuk’s viewers sincerely believed it could happen.
– Let’s go!
– Let’s start by aiming for 1st place!
– Will Kakashi show up today too?
“Alright, then-“
Clang-
[GET READY FOR THE NEXT BATTLE!]
“I’ll quickly make my way to 1st place.”
**
“Ugh.”
At that moment.
Far away in Africa.
“Why so?”
“Suddenly, my ears started itching.”
“hehehe. Who’s been talking about you?”
“What?”
A man who was digging into his own ear asked with a puzzled expression.
“It’s a myth from Korea in Asia. They say your ears itch suddenly when someone is talking about you. It was a Korean staff member who told me.”
“hahahaha! That’s a funny story. I don’t believe in such myths.”
The man replied dismissively.
His true identity was Kwabna.
Kwabna didn’t believe in Eastern or African myths, such as those from far Asia or their own Africa.
It wasn’t always like that.
His great-grandmother, who boasted of being over 100 years old, was a revered shaman known as a great mganga.
As a child, Kwabna used to believe his great-grandmother’s words wholeheartedly.
But Kwabna’s change of heart was due to words his great-grandmother said to him, almost like a prophecy.
“Something about being a witness to the end of the world…”
Words Kwabna heard when he was young.
Back then, he used to lose sleep worrying if those words would come true.
However, about a year ago, just before passing away, his great-grandmother left a testament saying that the words she spoke to him wouldn’t come true.
This declaration struck a chord with Kwabna, who was already becoming skeptical of shamanism as he grew older.
She even left some strange words behind.
“Something like… ‘Beware of ninjas’?”
There seemed to be some explanation attached to that, but he couldn’t recall it.
“Oh, that’s right. Cutting lightning…?”
A memory suddenly resurfaced.
Yet Kwabna still didn’t understand what it meant.
Surely he wasn’t going to start an Iron Fist because of a real prophecy, and even if he did, the ninja character Hattori within Iron Fist doesn’t use ninjutsu.
In fact, the words of a dying old woman weren’t something to dwell on.
Anyway.
“Spread the word to the organization. Declare that Iron Fist will end after this tournament.”
“What?”
“They said it was full of talented fighters. It was all lies, wasn’t it? We should completely change the discipline after winning this tournament.”
Kwabna thought of himself as a warrior who had chosen the wrong era to be born in.
What he desired was to fight against the strong.
And to defeat them in a bloody battle.
But in Iron Fist, there were no more strong opponents left for him to defeat.
“It might be better to announce it before the tournament even starts. That way, they’ll find me more entertaining.”
Only weaklings remained, striving in any way to defeat him.
He never once thought that he might lose.